We were lucky to catch up with Finley Jaynes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Finley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned guitar by ear (slowly over time) and have sang for most of my life. If I knew how much practice makes perfect I would’ve done it so much more early on. Especially with guitar since there are some techniques I still struggle with because of lack of practice. I suppose the only obstacle I can really think of is other jobs. Being a local musician means you basically have two jobs, and only one of them really supports you financially. Sometimes it feels counterintuitive to focus more on the career that isn’t really bringing in money, so you put it on the back burner, and then your craft really suffers.

Finley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always wanted to be a rockstar since I was a kid. I was in my first band in 7th grade, and I’ve been writing music ever since then. Then in high school I fell in love with another singer/songwriter and he pretty much kick-started Primaries. Our band is a pretty interesting mix of genres, with it being mainly pop-centric, we also splash in some punk, math-rock and psychedelic. We’ve been playing around Houston area for years now and I’ve come to love everyone that we’ve met in the scene and in our fanbase. It’s been a dream to see people who are inspired by what we do. Being the only woman in the band has given me an interesting perspective. I’ve had other women come up to me after a show telling me they’re inspired by my confidence on stage, which makes me absolutely over the moon. That’s the message that I’d personally like to show our fans is that if you want to achieve something, you just have to keep doing it until the universe finally caves and gives you what you want. One thing that Primaries as a group would like people to take away from our shows is a feeling of community. There’s nothing better than seeing people dancing and having a great time to your music.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I think what I’ve learned is to just be genuine. This kinda applies to your whole craft and not just social media, but your audience can really sense when you’re not being real with them and just trying to sell a product. On the flip side, they really appreciate when you’re not afraid to show yourself to the world or the Internet. So take some of your own sense of humor, lingo, whatever personal twist you would put on it if you were sending it to a friend. Oh, and include other artists! Commission a post by someone else or do a trade with someone… Just really get involved with other people locally that can expand your following. It’s a win-win at that point, because your following will also be aware of whoever your commissioning/trading with.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Supporting local artists. With everything having shifted to being online, it’s pretty difficult to get yourself out there when your mainly performing in person. Especially when you’re a DIY kinda band. Yeah you can put out albums and advertise on social media, but sometimes people need to get off their phones and into the pit. It’s the same with artists who sell more physical art at local art shows. Really just getting more involved with your local scene. I can speak for Houston and it’s so tight-knit and loving. If you’re anyone looking for a community to open it’s arms and welcome you, start going to local shows, open mics, art shows, comedy shows… Wherever you are, you’ll find some great people and amazing talent.

Contact Info:

• Website: linktr.ee/primaries
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/primariesband?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCWUKwkZkFSyYXJYDDegAyBw

Image Credits
Ben White Victoria Hamilton